Microsoft Edge browser now has an inbuilt AI malware blocker called Scareware
This week, Microsoft began rolling out a new feature in its Edge browser - an artificial intelligence-based malware blocker.
Here's What We Know
This tool, powered by local machine learning models, is designed to identify and block both existing fraudulent pages as well as new and emerging threats. The Scareware blocker uses computer vision technology to analyse full-screen pages and compare them to malware samples collected by the fraud community.
A Scareware blocker window with a blocked element. Illustration: Microsoft
If Microsoft Edge detects a fraudulent website, the browser will automatically exit full-screen mode, stop playing sound and warn the user in a thumbnail page. Users will also be able to complain about the site by adding it to Microsoft's Defender SmartScreen service, which blocks visits to known fraudulent pages.
The feature was first announced at the Ignite conference in November and is now available in a preview version of the latest stable version of the browser. To activate it, you need to manually enable the blocker in Edge's privacy settings and restart the browser.
Instructions on how to enable the Scareware blocker. Illustration: Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
